Karaoke At the Shrine

During the middle of the reign of Emperor Horikawa (the year 1092) to be exact, a shrine named Konnouhachimangu was founded in Shibuya, in what was then marsh lands and valleys tended by rice farmers in what would hundreds of years later become Tokyo. A couple of weeks ago, at the very same shrine although probably not the original wooden structure, the shrine organized, just for fun, a karaoke concert. Who said Japanese traditions aren’t keeping pace with modern times? Anyone could volunteer to perform and there was a long line of people eager to show of their skills. I took these photos just as a young woman performed the only English song of the evening, I think it was James Blunt’s “You’re Beautiful”, and she did it beautifully to much applause. The man next in line performed a classic Okinawan folk song that had everyone in the audience singing along! I absolutely love these random events and happenings that you run into living here in Tokyo. Who knew a shrine would have a karaoke concert?